Matters of Pride
by silvermyth
Summary: He'd never seen someone look so removed from their surroundings; sure, everybody lived in their own bubble while riding the train, but when Sora looked at him, it was more like he was on a different plane of existence. Of course, that could have just been Sora being dramatic.
1. The 7:05

**A/N:** This is my half of a fic-art trade with the amazingly talented **savaage-nymph** from tumblr, who made the most GORGEOUS illustration of knight!Riku and dragon!Sora for me. Seriously, love, I can't get over how perfect it is! She gave me some specifications that I haven't included yet, and I'll leave a surprise for the rest of you (for now). Enjoy

 **Matters of Pride  
Chapter 1: **_The 7:05_

Sora wasn't sure when he'd first seen him, whether it had been when the guy started riding the same train as him daily, or some time after, the familiar finally detaching itself from the rest of the world. However, once he noticed the fall of silver hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes, he couldn't _not_ notice.

Without fail, when Sora boarded the 7:05 for his morning commute, he was there, slouched in a seat or standing with a hand wrapped around a support bar. Sometimes, when Sora was staying late, he saw him on the way home—always sitting, then—although the time in the evening was much less reliable. It was quieter at night, less crowded, giving Sora a better view of the silvery head.

He'd never seen someone look so removed from their surroundings; sure, everybody lived in their own bubble while riding the train, but when Sora looked at _him_ , it was more like he was on a different plane of existence.

Of course, that could have just been Sora being dramatic.

Still, it was as good an excuse as any for Sora to study him covertly. More often than not, he caught the aqua eyes downcast and brooding, silver brows angled ever-so-slightly, a subtle tension in his shoulders, lips tight. Sora wondered what kind of life caused that much unhappiness in a person. Not that his life was sunshine and rainbows, either, but he'd long ago learned to always look on the bright side of things.

It wasn't long before Sora decided to take it upon himself to bring a little joy to his fellow passenger.

"Morning! Mind if I sit?" Sora asked over his scarf. It was late fall, a chill in the air making his morning coffee all the more welcome. He was acknowledged with a brief flick of eyes and a shrug, his target shifting a messenger bag into his lap to make room for Sora to sit beside him. "Thanks!"

The response was little more than a grunt, his gaze returning to the window to watch the passing scenery.

Sora changed tack, rustling the paper bag in his hand. "Want a donut? They gave me an extra one."

Another of those sly glances. "I was told not to take sweets from strangers," he said flatly.

Sora suppressed a smile. "I thought it was just candy? But I guess it's the same concept. Anyway, I'm Sora. So, not a stranger now, right?"

He didn't bother to look over this time. "Knowing your name doesn't make you less of a stranger. Give it to a homeless person."

Sora's lips dropped into a frown. "I got it for _you_."

This got the guy's attention. "I thought you said they gave you an extra one."

"Well, they did," Sora drawled, "because I _ordered_ an extra one."

"You don't even know me." One of the silver eyebrows had risen out of its usual brooding state.

Sora rolled his eyes. "That's the point. I want to. Geez, just take the donut already, would you?"

"Ha." It was a derisive sound, not a laugh so much as a huff, as he turned back to face the window.

Sora screwed his face up as the train braked, approaching his stop. With his own huff—frustration, not derision—he pushed the paper bag into the guy's hands and lurched to his feet. "There! This is my stop, so bye! Have a good day!" He hoped the guy would enjoy it, but then again, Sora could only hazard a guess to whether or not he even ate sweets, let alone what kind of donut he might like best.

Sora's feet slowed as he stepped from the train platform and onto the street. Maybe that hadn't been the best way to cheer someone up, and maybe he really had only annoyed the guy. He dismissed the thought almost as soon as it surfaced—even if that were the case, Sora being Sora, he would just keep trying until he succeeded.

The next morning, Sora ordered a bagel instead of an extra donut, and tried not to bubble with excitement as he waited on the train platform, watching the clock tick to 7:05. He caught a glimpse of silver in a window as it pulled up, and Sora almost bounced into the car when the doors slid open. Almost. Instead, he took calm, even steps, until he was standing over his target.

The other shot him an impassive glance. "There's other seats open."

"I suppose there are." Sora held out the paper bag. "I got a bagel for you this time. No sweets! There's even cream cheese, if you like."

This time, the aqua eyes were appraising. "A bagel, huh."

Sora nodded. "With cream cheese!"

He shifted his bag onto his lap, freeing the seat next to him for Sora, and accepted Sora's gift with much less reluctance than the morning before. He even nodded in approval after ascertaining that the bag did indeed hold a bagel, rather than a donut.

Sora eyed the parka the other wore, heavier than the weather called for, with a ruff of fur lining the hood. "Aren't you a little hot in that?" His response was a shrug that shifted the fur higher on his neck. "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't give it."

Sora raised an eyebrow, but tried again. "Well, I'm asking for it. I think it's only fair, since I told you mine."

"I never asked for yours."

"Aw, come on! I gave you a donut and a bagel. That should earn me your name, shouldn't it?"

"I didn't ask for those, either." Sora's face screwed up into a pout, and he was about to say something else, when the other interrupted him. "Isn't this your stop? Sora."

He glanced out the window to see that the platform coming into view was indeed his stop, so he missed the brief little smirk that flitted across the other's lips, while his own drew into a frown. "Yeah. But this isn't over," he added, turning his attention back to his neighbor. "You won't get rid of me that easily."

"You're leaving now, aren't you?" he asked pointedly. Sora hesitated as he stood up, taking in the gaze leveled at him. He couldn't quite read the expression, but he swore there was something feral about it. A challenge, maybe.

"I'll bring you a bagel again tomorrow," he promised. The tactic had earned him a warmer response this morning than the one before, he thought, so perhaps a little perseverance would get him somewhere. He tore himself away from the aqua eyes to exit the train, and he was just outside the door when the other's voice called after him.

"Onion."

Sora turned around to find those eyes still boring into him. "What?" A few other passengers jostled him, some of them grumbling, as he blocked their path, blinking.

"I like onion bagels."

The train door slid shut, and with a rumble, it sped off, leaving Sora there musing. Well, that was progress, wasn't it?

The next morning was Friday, and Sora was as excited for it as he was reluctant to see the weekend. He'd be able to give his stranger the onion bagel, and he'd be free of class for the next two days. But that also meant he wouldn't see the silver-haired man on the train again until Monday morning.

Well, Sora could be patient.

Still, Sora couldn't suppress his grin when the train pulled up to the platform, silver hair visible in one window, framed by fur. Despite the Friday morning crowd, the seat next to him was still occupied by the canvas bag. Sora wondered if he'd saved the seat for him, or if it was luck, but the eyes already on him hinted that the latter was more likely.

Sora met his gaze with a beam and offered the paper bag. "I brought you an onion bagel today. Happy Friday!"

"What's happy about it?" he asked, shifting his bag to his lap and accepting the bagel.

Sora thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well, we've made it to the end of another week, right?"

A shrug and a grunt. "I suppose." There was a crinkle of paper, and Sora was surprised to see his companion tear a piece from his bagel and bring it to his mouth. He smiled, and found himself captivated watching the other eat. There was a certain violence in the way he tore the bread, but then he took small, careful bites. Aqua eyes slitted when he noticed Sora watching, and he shrugged his fur-trimmed collar higher. "What?"

Sora gave a shrug of his own. "I'm hoping it's a good sign that you accepted food from me."

"What do you want from me?" Eyes still narrow, face guarded.

"To be your friend. You looked like you needed one." It was an honest answer; he was curious, but his intentions were pure. For the most part.

He snorted, features relaxing a fraction. "How so?"

"You always look so tense and unhappy. I mean, not like I was stalking you, I just noticed, you know?"

A silver eyebrow angled up. "I'm not a morning person."

Sora bit his lip, face heating up in embarrassment. "You know, I never thought of that?" He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

There was a ghost of a smile on his companion's face at that. "Really, never?" When Sora shook his head, the corners of his lips curved up more.

There was silence between them as the other resumed eating his bagel, Sora retreating into his own thoughts and berating himself for not thinking of something so simple. On the other hand, that didn't stop him from wanting to befriend him.

A pressure against his arm brought him back to the real world, his neighbor leaning against him. "Sora, your stop."

"Oh. Thank you." The contact had been brief, and Sora wondered if he'd imagined it as he stood up.

"My name is Riku."

Sora's face lit up. "Riku," he tested the syllables, and decided he liked the way they rolled off his tongue. "Nice to meet you! Officially," he added.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Goodbye, Sora."

Sora waved with enthusiasm as he stepped off the train.


	2. Just a Scratch

**A/N:** A warning for mention of blood in this chapter.

 **Matters of Pride  
Chapter 2: **_Just a Scratch_

Sora's weekend passed in a conventional manner: hanging out with Wakka and Tidus and the gang, lunch with Kairi. He sometimes still marveled that he'd remained friends with all of them, despite their lives taking different paths once they left high school. Then again, Sora had always made it a point to have time for his friends. Even with his weekend shifts at the grocer near his house, and the requisite hours spent studying in the library, he'd carved out a little bit of time for them.

In the back of his mind, he was already planning time spent with Riku. Would he find a place in the larger friend group, or was he more of a one-on-one guy? Sora certainly wouldn't object to having Riku all to himself. Was he a different person in the afternoon and evenings, compared to his near-sullen morning self?

When he ordered the onion bagel Monday morning, the questions were all swirling in his mind, and he was still thinking of the best way to convince Riku to share his phone number to ask said questions (when it wasn't morning, because he understood what "not a morning person" meant, after all) when the train pulled up to his platform.

As usual, Riku's silvery hair caught Sora's attention, blending into the fur trim of his parka. However, something about him caused Sora to hesitate in his approach. The air around him nearly rankled, and the other passengers were giving him a wide berth, leaving Sora's view unobstructed. The tension that he'd grown accustomed to seeing in the man's shoulders was there, albeit much more pronounced, and his smooth jaw was set in a hard line, but the red flag was the jagged cut drawn from cheek to jaw on one side of his face. There was a complementary split in his lip, and then a flash of aqua eyes when Riku caught sight of him.

His gaze sent a chill down Sora's spine, his eyes cold and empty for only a split second, before he blinked, and refocused on the bagel-laden paper bag. A silvery eyebrow lifted, and Riku's lips quirked into a smirk as he shifted his messenger bag onto his lap.

"Well, is that for me, or what?"

"Of course it is." Sora offered a timid smile along with the bagel. "Uhm. Would it be prying if I asked how that happened?" he inquired, gesturing at Riku's face.

Riku was silent for a moment, already chewing on a piece of bagel. He swallowed, and then huffed a sigh. "This is nothing."

Sora frowned. "That's not what I would call 'nothing.' Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's none of your business! I can take care of myself," he snapped. Riku tugged at his parka, pulling the ruff closer to his neck. Another huff, and he returned to his bagel.

Seeing Sora's concerned face still turned on him, he sent him a sidelong glance. When he spoke again, it was a low murmur. "Really, it's just a scratch. It's minor. But I appreciate your concern."

Sora offered a bright smile. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

"Hmph."

Sora debated for a moment whether or not it was an opportune time to ask Riku for his number, but before he could decide, the train was already slowing to a stop and he had to go. So he settled with a "See you tomorrow!" and a wave as the doors slid closed behind him.

He made a plan for Tuesday, and when he ordered Riku's bagel, he used a pen to scrawl his phone number and a smiley face on the bag.

The ominous cloud from the day before had lifted, leaving Riku looking much less intimidating, though the cuts on his face were still vivid red against his pale skin. As was quickly becoming their custom, Riku moved his messenger bag from the seat next to him and accepted his bagel without so much as a "Good morning."

But Sora didn't mind, since, he figured, Riku was still warming up to him. So he was the one to offer a cheerful "Good morning," as he took his seat.

There was a hint of amusement in his voice when Riku traced a finger over Sora's phone number and asked "What's this?"

Sora scratched the back of his neck with a wry grin. "Well, you know. Gotta have a way to contact your friend, right? If you want, that is," he added.

Riku's low chuckle surprised Sora. It was a deep, rumbling sound that made his stomach feel light and fluttery, and he was so busy wishing the sound would go on forever that he almost missed it when Riku started speaking again. "So, you try to win me over with food, and you say you want to be my friend, but you give me your phone number like this?"

Sora's face colored. "H-hey! You make me sound like some kind of predator or something!"

"If the shoe fits." The smirk on Riku's face was becoming familiar, and Sora didn't mind that at all. As long as his lips weren't in a tight line, as long as he wasn't unhappy, that made Sora happy.

Sora pursed his lips. "Everyone always has a comment about my shoe size." He stretched a foot out and shook it, grinning. "My feet aren't _that_ big."

Riku let out a derisive snort. "Not helping your case."

Sora made a face. "At least I try."

"Stick to bagels." Riku punctuated his statement by tearing into his bagel with aplomb. He fell silent for the rest of Sora's ride, but offered a murmured "Bye" in response to Sora's "See you tomorrow!"

Riku never called or texted, but every morning he looked for Sora's bagel, and gradually became more receptive to conversing with Sora. He remained silent on the subject of himself, but offered quips in response to whatever Sora decided to talk about, and asked the occasional question about Sora himself.  
It wasn't long until Sora had told Riku all the basics. That he was studying veterinary medicine—dogs were his favorite animal—and he had a twin, Roxas; he loved his coffee light and sweet, and he didn't mind the cold, but he definitely preferred summer.

The day after Sora finally got something new out of Riku—a thank you for the daily bagel, for the first time—was the day the shine of silver hair was missing when Sora boarded his train. After growing so accustomed to chatting with his train friend every morning, he couldn't help but be disappointed, and concerned. Still, it was already December, and it wasn't unlikely that he'd fallen ill and would recover quickly. Or maybe it was nothing, and Riku had simply taken a different train.

He gave the bagel away to a classmate, and hoped the next day Riku would be there waiting for his morning treat, as usual.

The next day passed with no Riku, and Sora began to regret that he'd never pressed him for his contact information. He'd always hoped that Riku would contact him on his own, and figured that he was an introvert, so he'd let it rest. Did he even have anyone to take care of him if he was ill? It was Thursday, and Sora crossed his fingers that Riku would be on the train Friday. Perhaps he'd gotten spoiled, seeing the man regularly, and it was probably nothing serious, but Sora had a niggling feeling in his gut that something was off.

Nothing Friday morning. It was a late night for Sora, and as he boarded his train home, he cast a hopeful look around for silver hair. It was a long shot, though, and he wasn't surprised that his search was in vain.

He made the short walk from the train station to his apartment wallowing and feeling dejected. He wouldn't admit it to Riku, but he was the high point of Sora's day. Even if he was reticent and seemed ungrateful at times, Sora knew how to look past those things and see the goodness in people, and he knew Riku was good, in his own way.

Sora sighed and pulled out his keys as he approached his building. He could at least wait until Monday and then—then what? He realized he knew nothing about Riku. Not what he did, where he lived, if he had any relatives.

He let out a low curse and kicked the sidewalk. "Stupid Sora," he grumbled.

He didn't notice the figure standing in the shadows near his apartment's outer door, so when Riku limped into the light, he started with a gasp. "Sora…" he rasped.

"The hell! Riku?!" was all he could get out before he took in the ashen color of his friend's face, and the way he gasped in shallow breaths. The _how-when-why_ went right out the window in lieu of "Are you okay?" Even with dull eyes, Riku managed to shoot him a weak glare, and Sora muttered, "No, of course you're not. Let's get you inside." He fumbled with the keys in his haste to get them inside, but once they'd both stepped into the vestibule, Sora paused to take a better look at his friend.

He clutched his parka close with one arm, and in the overhead light, looked even paler than he had outside. Something dark and wet shone below its hem, on his pant leg, and Sora frowned, sucking is lip in. Shaking his head, he led Riku towards his apartment.

"If you're bleeding that bad, you should've checked yourself into an emergency room. What the hell happened?" Riku shook his head as Sora unlocked his apartment. "Fine, don't tell me. Sit down," he gestured at his couch. "How bad is it?"

Riku all but collapsed, sinking into the cushions of the couch. "Bad enough," he breathed. With shaking fingers, he peeled his parka open, and though his shirt was unbroken, it was already soaked through with blood.

Sora closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. When he opened them again, Riku was still there, bleeding on his couch. "Fuck, you need to get to a hospital _now_. I'm calling an amb—"

"NO!" Riku's growl cut him off, his eyes flashing.

Sora's brow furrowed in concern. "Riku, you need emergency attention! You're bleeding a lot. It doesn't just stop on its own when it's that bad!" Realizing his voice was bordering hysterical, he took a calming breath. "I can't just let you bleed out on my couch," he said finally.

"No hospitals," he rumbled. His eyes bored into Sora, intense despite his weakened state.

Sora looked away first. "Fine." He threw his hands in the air. "Fine, I'll patch you up. But you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. If I'm harboring a criminal, I at least deserve to know." He spun on his heel and headed to his bathroom to retrieve his first aid kit. "And you better not die in my apartment," he called over his shoulder.

Riku sighed and fell back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Despite his better judgment, Sora settled the first aid kit and some towels on the floor beside him and pulled on a pair of blue gloves. "Can you take it off?" he murmured, hand hovering at the hem of Riku's shirt. The silver head lolled to the side, and Sora took it as a no. "I'll have to cut it to get to the wound." Riku didn't protest, so he grabbed the scissors and cut the thin t-shirt away, and carefully pilled it back.

He sucked in a breath at the cuts slicing across Riku's torso, blood weeping from them. "How did you get these?" he muttered, more to himself than to his patient. "I'm not a doctor, you know? But I'll do my best." His assessment was quick before he set to work, Riku's eyes following him the entire time.

It wasn't until Sora was already stitching up the last of the deeper cuts that Riku's eyes fluttered shut. Sora's glanced up to the still face and bit his lip. The bare chest under his ministrations still rose and fell, and a pulse still fluttered under the fingers Sora pressed to his throat, so he finished closing the wound before stepping back.

He wasn't even sure he was done. He eyed the dark spot that stretched below the waiast of Riku's pants, and he couldn't be certain there wasn't an injury there, too. Or, for that matter, on Riku's back. He heaved a sigh, and fervently wished that Riku hadn't passed out on him.

An hour later, Sora sat back on his heels. Riku's ruined shirt sat crumpled in a trash bag, along with some of Sora's towels. The jeans and parka hadn't gone under the knife, but Sora wasn't sure they'd be salvageable. Even so, he'd already dumped them in the kitchen sink under cold water, leaving it to Riku to decide.

He'd had one more cut on the outside of a thigh, shallow enough that a bandage did the trick. The rest of the time had been spent making Riku comfortable in one of Sora's oversized t-shirts, and cleaning up the worst of the mess.

He was exhausted, his fingers cramped, and he couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd eaten. He stood, teetering, and retrieved a leftover carton of Chinese from his fridge. Popping it into the microwave, he ducked into his room and changed into his sleep clothes. He sorely needed a shower, but he was under no delusions that he would have the energy to do so. Instead, he curled up on his armchair with his carton of Chinese. He watched Riku's chest rise and fall, scrutinizing the pattern of his injuries, until he fell asleep.


	3. Stalked

**A/N:** WOW, look at me go! Three chapters in five days! So, maybe you noticed that there's a tag up there that says lion!Riku, and maybe you noticed the word "Pride" in this fic's title...? Well...

 **Matters of Pride  
Chapter 3: **_Stalked_

Sora was dreaming.

He'd boarded his morning train, bagel in hand for Riku, but when he stepped through the train doors, the car was empty of people. He sat in an aisle seat, anyway, leaving the window one for Riku, and wondered whether he'd forgotten a holiday. The train pulled away from the platform with a clatter and a roar, and Sora slouched in his seat with a sigh. His watched the scenery move past the window, until Riku's reflection sought Sora's eyes with his own.

There was a fierceness in his gaze, but Sora wasn't afraid. At least, he wasn't, until he turned to get a better look at at his friend.

There, where he'd expected Riku's fur-lined parka and silver hair, was another creature entirely. Beautiful, in its own way, but far more frightening than even the worst of Riku's piercing stares.

The lion was huge, bigger than Sora had seen before, his coat a healthy, shining white, with a bushy mane framing his square face. Yellow eyes gleamed with something predatory, its lips curling back in a snarl. Sora stood frozen as it inhaled his scent. Logic tried to remind him that animals didn't attack unprovoked, but primal instinct filled him with dread. He wanted to fight, and, realizing the absurdity of the situation, found his mind clawing its way toward consciousness.

He woke with a gasp, still trembling at the phantom danger, muscles protesting his cramped position in the armchair. He glanced around him, momentarily disoriented, until he caught sight of the shape on the couch.

Aqua eyes caught the faint light of the room, reflecting it back so that they appeared to be glowing. Or perhaps that was a remnant of Sora's dream, because the shape on the couch was much bulkier than Riku ought to be. Sora rubbed his eyes and eased out of the chair, mentally shaking himself.

It had been a night, and he was still exhausted. A glance at the clock showed him that he'd been asleep for an hour, maybe two, tops; no wonder, then. His eyes landed again on the bulk on his couch and he sighed, bending over to check his guest's condition.

Riku's breath was even, his pulse steady, but Sora frowned at the heat radiating from his skin. He pressed the back of his hand to Riku's brow, to double check, and yes, that was definitely warmer than a person ought to be. He turned to retrieve the thermometer from the first aid kit, still sitting on an end table, but Riku's grip on his sleeve stopped him.

Silver eyelashes fluttered open, revealing wide pupils as he focused on Sora. "I'm fine," he rumbled.

Sora's frown deepened into a scowl. "You're not fine. You're feverish." He pulled his sleeve out of Riku's grasp. "Not to mention all the blood you lost ruining your clothes and my towels. Your pupils are dilated," he added.

"It's dark. I'm fine," Riku insisted.

"If you're fine, stand up and walk out of here. You came here for my help, right? So you're going to get it." Riku didn't move. "Uh-huh." Sora picked up the thermometer and poked Riku in the cheek with it. "Open up, I'm taking your temperature." Thermometer secure under Riku's tongue, Sora headed into the kitchen, flicking on a lamp as he passed it, and returned with a glass of water.

Riku looked weary, but less ashen than only a handful of hours ago, and he accepted the water without protest, taking small sips.

"One-oh-one," Sora waved the reading in front of Riku's face. "That's a fever. Now tell me, how do you feel? Really."

"Like I fought a lion," Riku grunted.

Sora raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, but dismissed it. "That's not good, so I'll believe you. But you're sure you don't feel hot? If you start developing an infection, I don't care what you say, you're going to a hospital."

Riku sighed and started to drape an arm over his forehead, but stopped with a hiss.

"Stitches," Sora reminded him.

"Whatever. I don't have a fever. The reading is wrong. I'm hungry."

Sora ran a hand through his hair, patience wearing thin. It was another demand, and regardless of Riku's state—which he still hadn't explained—it was petulant. "I'm going to let that go as a symptom of delirium. But you're right, you probably need something to eat." He glanced at the clock again. "Food, then back to sleep."

The apartment was silent as he flitted about his kitchen. Riku had to have been joking when he said he felt like he'd fought a lion, but…Sora had spent a long time looking at those cuts as he stitched him up, and the pattern had been similar to a swipe from a cat, albeit much larger.

That was crazy though, right?

Riku had already maneuvered himself into a half-sitting position by the time Sora carried the two plates back into the living room, a burger for both of them, and a side of carrots and broccoli (he was sadly out of fries). The eager expression on Riku's face as Sora placed the plate in front of him was one he had never seen before, and he had to admit that the half-open smile and brightened eyes was really cute. It was enough to make up for his unqualified demand for food, at least, he decided.

The rest, well.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened to your face?" Sora ventured.

Riku shrugged and tilted his head. "Where's my parka?"

"In the sink," Sora pointed towards the kitchen. "It might be ruined."

Riku narrowed his eyes, following Sora's finger. He shook his head, face softening when he looked back to Sora. "It's not important."

They finished their burgers in silence, Sora studying his guest, Riku engrossed in his food. Despite the injuries he sported, and his own admission, Riku showed no outward signs of them. Just the thought of it made Sora wince in sympathy, and when he rose to clear their plates he murmured, "You should stay here tonight. You're in no shape to be out."

Riku nodded.

"Why did you come here, of all places? And how did find me? And—"

Riku cut him off. "I'm tired."

Sora sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, fine. Yes. Get some rest. But, Riku, you can't do this kind of thing to a person and not offer anything in return." He frowned. "I just—it's a lot to take in, you know?"

Riku caught his hand, expression open and honest. "You're a good person, Sora."

It wasn't a thanks, not directly, and certainly not an explanation, but Sora caught his tone and offered a soft smile in response. "Good night, Riku. Wake me up if you start feeling worse."

Riku offered a low hum in response as he eased back down onto Sora's couch.

o - o - o

Sora dreamed again, amber lion eyes stalking him, and in his peripheries, Riku's aqua eyes, but in his dreamscape, they took the shape of the lion's eyes.

o - o - o

The sound of his alarm woke Sora as much as the weight that was making his bed dip to one side. He fumbled blindly for his phone to switch the alarm off, and started to roll back over, but a low voice stopped him.

"Sora." Sora cracked an eye open to silvery hair tickling the sides of his face. His dream lingered, the shape of a lion's face superimposing itself on Riku's, before he blinked it away. Still, his guest was very close, his intense eyes only inches away from Sora's own, which was intimidating all on its own.

"Riku?"

"Sora, I'm hungry."

"O-okay. Uhm." Sora tried to form a coherent response, but for that, he needed coffee. He stretched, and when it became apparent that he was getting up, Riku stood up from the bed to let him pass.

Riku followed close behind as he shuffled to the kitchen, expectant.

The smell of coffee grounds brought Sora into the present, and as the machine gurgled and dripped, he turned back to his silvery-haired shadow. "Feeling better?" Riku nodded, watching as Sora retrieved eggs and sausage from the fridge. He frowned, not satisfied with the answer. "After we eat, I should check your wounds again." He fixed Riku with his own piercing stare. "And while I do that, you're going to answer some questions."

Twenty minutes later, and Riku sat complacent as Sora inspected the bandages and stitches, checking for any hints of infection.

"How'd you get these?" Sora lifted the edge of a bandage with a gloved hand.

"I was attacked."

Sora snorted. "That much is obvious. By what, a bear?"

"No." Riku stared at something on the floor. "By my brother. He wasn't himself."

Sora shot him a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry. Is he okay?" A noncommittal shrug from Riku. "But why not just go to an ER, then? Are you in some other kind of trouble?"

"No."

Sora pursed his lips as he finished his appraisal and sat down next to his patiient. "Then why? How did you even find me? You never even called me before."

Riku was silent as he turned his stare to Sora, as if taking his measure. "I stalked you."

Sora froze, gaping. "You what?"

Riku gave a huff of a laugh. "It really isn't that hard to track people, Sora." He inhaled, nostrils flaring. "Your scent is very distinct."

"Uh-huh."

"Don't worry, I won't eat you," Riku chuckled, bumping Sora with his shoulder.

Sora let out an inarticulate grumble, followed by a yelp as he glanced at the clock. "Shit! Work!" He jumped up in a flurry of motion, flitting around the apartment. "Too late to call out, but—are you okay staying here alone? I don't think you should go anywhere yet. And, ah, uh, there's food in the fridge, you can help yourself." Sora cursed again and disappeared into the bathroom for a record-breakingly short shower. When he reemerged, towel slung around his waist, Riku was reclined on the couch with a look of amusement on his face.

"You really are a generous person, aren't you?"

Sora paused mid-step. "My friends are important to me. You're no exception. But I'll tell you right now, I don't make a habit out of stitching people up. And we're not done here, but I _really_ need to get to work."

A few minutes later, Sora was waving goodbye to his charge, but not before leaving Riku with an emergency contact number.

o - o - o

It was hard to focus on his menial job with an injured Riku alone in his apartment, but Sora was able to beg out of the second half of his shift. Still, the four hours crawled by, and afterward, when he stopped at the pharmacy to restock his first aid supplies, he swore the line took _forever_.

With his mind so occupied, it was a wonder he noticed the man watching him from behind a newspaper while he waited for a bus. His hair was silvery, like Riku's, but shorter, and pulled into a loose queue at his nape. His features were fine and, Sora realized, he could easily be the brother that Riku had mentioned. That alone put him on guard, though they'd never met, and Sora had no reason to believe the man knew him.

It was the man's amber eyes, though, that sent ice through his veins. There was something cold to his gaze that was too familiar, that Sora couldn't shake his unease.

It was a relief when Sora's bus came, and the man didn't step on behind him.

Sora took a deep breath as he reached his apartment building. He was concerned about his friend, but he still felt that Riku was leaving out more than he was sharing. It was no different from the relationship they'd already established, but that was the problem. Things had changed the moment Riku decided to come to him, instead of an ER.

If only Riku would acknowledge that.

"I'm back!" Sora called, pulling the door closed behind him. Not seeing his house guest, he frowned. "Riku?"

Something big and white padded out of his bedroom and Sora choked, pressing back against the door, fumbling for the handle. In his mind was a mantra of _nonononoNO!_ as the lion closed the distance between them. _It_ _'_ _s a hallucination. Or a dream_. He shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality.

The lion's body, when it hit him, was solid and hot, pressing into Sora's chest, effectively trapping him. Sora closed his eyes in a wince, bracing for the worst.

When _the worst_ didn't happen, he cracked an eye open, and then the other, to find a pair of familiar aqua eyes staring out at him from the lion's face as it rubbed its head against his chest. Riku's words of _I won_ _'_ _t eat you_ flitted across his mind as he tried to parse the signals being sent to his brain.

"Ri…ku?" he squeaked after a long moment, hesitant. He earned a headbutt in response, and a deep vibration sounded from the lion's chest. Sora shook his head again, and slid to sit on the floor, heart pounding. The lion—Riku?—snuffled his face and retreated a few steps, studying him.

The white body melted into something else, until Riku stood crouched a small distance away, face filled with concern. "Are you okay? You're scared, what happened? Did Terra do something to you?"

Wide blue eyes stared. "I-I think I'm hallucinating," Sora whispered, voice shaking.


	4. Coming to Terms

**A/N:** Whew this chapter felt kind of heavy while writing. Ah well. I see some people are reading, but it'd be great if you could also drop me a short review or PM to let me know how you're enjoying the fic! Am I doing crazy things? Were you surprised by anything? I don't even know! Waaahhhhh! Anyway. Enjoy the latest chapter!

 **Matters of Pride  
Chapter 4: **_Coming to Terms_

"Hallucinating?" Riku repeated.

Sora took in a deep breath and then let it out, easing his nerves. "Yes, hallucinating. Unless you can turn into a big, white lion."

Riku planted his hands on the floor, his gaze steady on Sora. "Is that unusual?"

Sora narrowed his eyes in a glare. "What do you think? Of course it is!"

Riku hummed. "So, you thought you saw a lion when I came in? Is that what scared you?"

Sora stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned against the door. "Yeah." Then, "Well, no, not exactly."

Riku quirked an eyebrow. "No?"

"I love animals—it's why I want to be a vet—and I'm not afraid of them. I can't be. It's just, I've been having these weird dreams lately, and there's a giant lion in them." Sora stretched a hand above his head to indicate the height. "Huge, all white. And these yellow eyes that look _right through_ me. It's not even like I'm looking into the face of an animal, but a killer, you know? And he's after me." He scratched the back of his neck, feeling the hairs there rising at just the thought.

Riku stared at him. "Yellow eyes, you say?"

"Mm, yeah." Sora bit his lip. "And, last night, in my dream, you were a lion, too."

Riku cocked his head to the side. "And did I scare you, too?"

Sora shook his head. "No. It was a little weird, but no. When I saw your eyes, I knew you wouldn't hurt me." He shrugged. "So when I came home and I saw—well, I _thought_ I saw—a white lion coming at me, I thought it was the yellow-eyed one. But it had your eyes, and," Sora let out a self-deprecating laugh and rose to his feet. "Well, I was just daydreaming." He gathered up his bag of first aid supplies, and shook the bag at Riku. "You owe me for these, by the way. I used up almost _everything_ patching you up. How are your stitches holding up, any—oh."

Riku's crouching figure shimmered until the white lion replaced him. Sora's mouth fell open as the lion stepped into him, rubbing against him like an affectionate housecat. It was different from the yellow-eyed one, Sora realized. Smaller, with an adolescent's mane, and when his hands settled on the creature's back, slid through the fur, he could feel ridges on its hide. Parting the tufts of white over one such ridge revealed a line of healing stitches.

"I haven't thanked you properly for that." Riku's voice came in his ear, and the fur under Sora's hands was skin. A warm hand cupped Sora'schin. "What would you like, Sora?"

Sora blinked, his mind trying to play catch-up for the second time. "Are you really a lion?"

Riku smirked, his face still close, so that it was a little out of focus. "What do you think? Do you really believe the world is only one thing?"

"I'm…not sure." He felt his face heating up at the closeness, and let his hand slip out from under Riku's borrowed shirt.

"I don't believe you." Riku leaned into Sora's neck, breathing him in. "But I think I know how to thank you." And the closeness got closer, until Riku's lips were pressing against Sora's in a lingering kiss. Sora could feel his heart racing, and Riku's chest vibrated in a hum as he pulled away, licking his lips. "That was…" He leaned down and rubbed his cheek against Sora's. "Thank you, Sora."

"Hey!" Sora panted, face flushed, "don't change the subject!"

Riku chuckled. "What?"

Sora pulled away and dropped his bag on the kitchen counter. "Are you a lion?"

Riku's lips spread in a wicked grin. "I wouldn't be a-lyin' if I said I was."

Sora sputtered. "Did you just-did you just make a fucking lion pun?" He propped his hands on his hips. "No, no, that's just another distraction. Or it's a yes."

"Yes." There was a mischievous glint in Riku's eyes, and this time Sora wasn't afraid of the white mass closing the distance between them. Even when he was knocked off his feet and pinned, those steady aqua eyes reassured him.

"Okay then. You're a lion—were-lion?"

Riku's form shifted again, but this time Sora saw the ghost of the lion shape lingering. "Don't be silly. Were-lions don't exist. I'm something else."

"Right. Okay. Heavy is what you are. Can you let me up?" Sora shifted, trying to sit up, but Riku put a hand on his chest, smirking.

"You'll have to make me."

Sora gave him a wry look. "You're injured. It wouldn't be fair."

"I think it makes us even."

"You're just playing with me, aren't you?" Riku's smirk widened. "Yeah, no, I'm not going to rough house with an _injured lion_." Sora crossed his arms behind his head. "Oh, but that makes sense! If your brother is a lion, then of course if he attacked you it would be claw marks!"

"Terra. Yes." Riku lowered his head, fixing Sora with a dark look. "There was a hint of his scent on you when you got back."

Sora chewed his lip. "I did see a man with hair like yours. And—those yellow eyes, like in my dreams." He shuddered at the memory. "It was while I was waiting for the bus."

Riku shifted off of Sora to sit on the ground next to him, all humor draining away. "Something happened to him." His mouth tightened. "I need to figure out how to fix it." Riku moved to stand, but Sora grabbed his arm.

"Hey, you're not leaving, are you?"

Riku sat silent for a long moment. "I have somewhere to be, Sora. Let go."

Sora tightened his grip. "Riku, please. At least rest one more day. Maybe your cuts aren't deep, but you still lost a lot of blood."

"I'm fine."

Sora's face screwed up in a pout. "You keep saying that. But you came to me for help, so let me help."

"That was something different," Riku muttered, pulling out of his grasp and standing. "This has nothing to do with you."

Sora lurched to his feet, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well neither did your injuries, but that didn't stop you from involving me. Now I'm involved, and now I'm helping. So deal with it." Riku's eyes widened. "Anyway, it's too cold to go out without a coat," Sora added.

Riku cast a glance to the kitchen where he'd hung his parka, the fabric still damp and evidence of his wounds staining the front of it. "…Fine. I'll take one more day of rest." He strode over and folded himself into the armchair, staring at Sora. "I'm hungry."

"Of course you are." A smile flitted over Sora's lips as he turned to the kitchen. He thought he was starting to understand Riku a little better. He was simultaneously demanding and adamant about his independence. Not so unlike a cat, he realized. Well, if that were the case…Sora glanced at Riku from where he was fixing lunch for the both of them. Riku was all ease and grace, affecting a look of disinterest, but Sora caught his eyes flickering towards the kitchen. Perhaps Riku already liked him more than he was letting on.

This certainly wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd first considered befriending the beautiful man on the train but…Sora flushed at the memory of Riku's thank you kiss. He genuinely wanted to help, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to get closer to…whatever it was Riku was. And the adorable, eager look on Riku's face when Sora presented him with lunch was something he could get used to. If he stuck around.

A companionable silence fell between them, broken only when Riku asked to use Sora's laptop. He stared intently at the screen, tapping the keys now and then, and a glance over his shoulder showed a website that looked like a digital archive. Leaving him to it, Sora donned his reading glasses and curled up on the couch.

He was perusing a textbook, pen in hand, when Riku startled him, joining him on the couch, his back pressed against Sora's side. The tightness had returned to his mouth and his eyes were distant. Sora closed his book and turned his attention to Riku. "You said something happened to your brother," he murmured tentatively. "Do you know what?"

Riku didn't answer.

Sora sighed. "Riku…"

"Someone's controlling him." Riku's voice sounded weary when he said it.

"How do you know?"

"Because he tried to control me, too."

Sora bit his lip. "When you say control, you mean…like mind control?"

"Something like that."

"But you're not being controlled now. Right? So there has to be a way to fight it. How did you…?"

Riku shrugged. "I'm not sure. Anyway, what worked for me might not work for him. There's someone who might be able to help, though. If he'll see me."

"Hm. Why don't I go with you? I'm really good with people. Or I can just be moral support, you know?"

Riku seemed to consider this, and gave a slow nod. "I don't think it would hurt."

"Good! It's settled then. We'll go tomorrow."

Riku tilted his head back to look at Sora, studying him. "…Yeah. Okay." His lips turned up in a small smile.

Sora returned his smile and, satisfied that the matter was settled, reopened his textbook. Riku seemed content where he was, his eyes drifting shut in sleep. _A catnap?_ Sora wondered. At least he was following his doctor's orders. Watching the rise and fall of his chest, and the peaceful expression on his face, Sora wanted nothing more than to do anything in his power to help and protect him. Never mind the fact that Riku was likely much stronger than him and, as he'd claimed, perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

Unable to stop himself, Sora reached a hand out and stroked Riku's silver hair, brushing it back from his forehead. It was as silky as it looked, and he continued petting it, until he was rewarded by a low rumble in Riku's chest.

"You really are like a cat," Sora murmured, smiling.

One of Riku's eyes cracked open, and he leaned into Sora's hand. "I'm a lion. Not a cat."

Sora chuckled. "A lion is type of cat. Just bigger."

Riku let out an indignant huff, but his eye slid shut again.

As the afternoon slipped quietly into evening, Sora vaguely wondered if he could keep Riku. Although it might be a little strange, a blurryline between 'pet' and 'boyfriend,' he didn't really mind, so long as he was with the intriguing Riku.

Well, even before that, he had to help Riku with whatever or whoever was controlling his brother.

Feeling comfortable and warm with Riku's shared body heat, Sora's found his eyes sliding shut in sleep, too.

Once again, Sora dreamed.


	5. Instincts

**Happy Valentine's day, readers!**

 **Matters of Pride  
Chapter 5: **_Instincts_

Sora wasn't sure where he was—if he was anywhere. The world around him was empty and dark, blacks bleeding into purples and blues in a cold, suffocating miasma. He turned in a circle to find that it was the same in each direction, and a shudder of fear traveled down his spine.

"Sora?"

Sora whirled at the sound of Riku's voice. His friend was there, dressed in a white tunic, a look of surprise on his face.

"Riku!" The growl came before Sora could speak the syllables himself, and he spun around again to see the man from the bus stop, yellow eyes narrowed. They flicked from Riku to Sora, and before Sora could react, a blur of white charged towards him. Another shape shot from behind Sora—Riku—and there was a heavy thud as the two bodies crashed together.

The two lions were quieter than he'd expected, no roars or harsh growls as they wrestled, just heaving breaths. The larger lion—Terra, Sora guessed—had superior size and strength, but what Riku lacked in strength, he made up for with speed. Still, it looked as if Riku was on the defensive, and Sora felt his blood boil when he only narrowly avoided a vicious swipe of claws.

He didn't think of his own safety, only of the vivid red of Riku's blood when he'd showed up on Sora's doorstep, when he approached the fighting creatures and threw himself bodily between them.

"Stop!" Sora's voice echoed through the emptiness, and both lions fell back in a blinding light. There was a brief moment of peace before they lunged at each other again, and Sora let out a frustrated "No!" They jerked to a stop, as if something were physically restraining them. Two sets of eyes bored into him, yellow on one side, aqua on the other, studying him.

"What _are_ you?"

The darkness melted away as Sora's eyes fluttered open, returning to consciousness. He winced at the fingers Riku was digging into his shoulders, and the sharp look only inches from his face. "Riku?"

"I said, _what are you_ ," he growled, nostrils flaring.

"Uhm," Sora squeaked, "what do you mean?"

" _How did you enter our dreams?_ "

Sora blinked. "I…I didn't…! I mean, I dreamed of you fighting Terra, but that was just a dream, right?"

Riku released him abruptly. "You didn't do it on purpose?"

"No?"

Riku rocked back on his heels and furrowed his brow, eyes distant in thought, before refocusing on Sora. "What the hell is wrong with you, Sora? What kind of idiot throws himself in the middle of a lion fight? He was going for you, you know!"

"Why wouldn't I want to protect you? You're my friend! And if he's you're brother…even if he's not himself, I can't watch family turn against each other." Sora frowned. "Anyway, why was he going after me?"

Riku lifted his head and glared down his nose at Sora. "Because you're mine."

Sora stared, eyes hardening. "Yours? In what way?"

Riku lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "It doesn't matter. I scent-marked you. You're mine to protect." He sighed. "Although it seems you can take care of yourself. At least there. I wonder if it's the same out here. How did you do it, Sora?"

"Do what?"

"You stopped us somehow. I couldn't move. Neither could he. Was it some kind of magic?"

Sora pursed his lips. "I just…really didn't want you to hurt each other. Even if it was a dream."

Riku caught Sora's eyes with his own and held his gaze. Seeming satisfied by whatever he saw there, he nodded and stood. He glanced around the room and back to Sora. "Get up, Sora."

"What? What for?"

"Just do it." He backed up several steps, expression expectant.

Sora climbed to his feet, curiosity getting the better of him. "Okay, now what?"

"Try to stop me."

Sora opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get any farther before Riku was flying at him, his lion shape forming around him as he sprang forward. Sora's voice caught in his throat, and though he wasn't afraid, he still threw his arms out to shield himself. Which was little defense against even an adolescent lion, and Sora found himself seeing stars, his breath leaving him in a rush when he was toppled to the floor.

Lion Riku looked down at him with curious eyes, snuffling him. He huffed, his breath hot against Sora's cheek, before stepping off of him and turning away. His tail swished behind him as he circled the couch, his attention clearly on Sora. He'd already made two circuits of the couch before Sora caught his breath and sat back up.

The third circuit he made at a run, charging at Sora again, though this time he stopped short of hitting him and stretched his mouth open in a resounding roar, his teeth bared.

Sora shrunk back, covering his ears. "Riku!" he hissed. "What are you doing?"

 _Stop me!_ Riku's voice was disembodied, sounding in his head, and Sora wasn't sure if it really was Riku, or if it was just his own mind echoing Riku's demand, but the lion was already circling back to attack.

Sora braced himself for the third charge. He was knocked on his back again, and this time Riku stayed there, snarling at him. Sora pushed at his chest, not bothering to put much strength behind it.

"Will you knock it off?" he bit out.

The lion ignored him, lowering his face until he held his mouth open against Sora's throat. It was slow and deliberate, and while he didn't bite down, the threat was still there. With just a snap of teeth, he could tear out Sora's throat, and Sora felt the first thread of fear run down his spine, and with it, a little anger.

"Stop it!" and this time when Sora pushed at the lion, he did put strength behind it. But even all of Sora's physical strength couldn't knock Riku back like that. Sora shot up, chest heaving, and stared at where Riku had toppled to the ground. "What the hell!"

Riku sat in his haunches, studying Sora as he glared back.

"This is my thanks for helping you?"

Riku melted back into a human shape, sitting cross-legged on the floor, a smirk on his lips. "Come on, Sora, I told you I'm not gonna eat you." His smirk faded. "Even if I was, you can stop me. It's not…it's not physical, though. I wonder what it is…"

Sora opened his mouth to respond, but a pounding at the door interrupted him. Sora glanced at the clock and let out an exasperated sigh. "Couldn't you have waited until the morning for all that? Now I'm not going to hear the end of it." Sora scowled as the pounding on the door redoubled. "I'm coming!"

The person on the other side of the door was all mussed red hair and angry green eyes, his arms crossing over his chest as soon as the door opened. He loomed over Sora, the angle emphasizing the dark circles under his eyes. "Look kid, I don't fucking care about your National Geographic addiction, but for fuck's sake, turn it down!" he growled. "Some of us have to get up in the morning."

Sora gave a nervous laugh, trying not to look back at the black screen of the TV. "Ah, sorry, I didn't realize it was so loud!"

The redhead's stare bored into Sora. Then, catching movement further into the apartment, flicked to where Riku had climbed to his feet and was moving toward them. There his gaze lingered, giving Riku a once-over, before returning to Sora. The wide grin that suddenly spread over his face caught Sora off guard, along with his dark chuckle. "Look what the cat dragged in, eh?" He slapped a hand on Sora's shoulder and winked. "Say no more, kid!" His eyes narrowed down again. "Just watch your _volume_ , yeah?" Sora couldn't help the heat rising to his face, which only induced further laughter from the redhead. He turned and flicked a hand in a wave as he made his way back to his apartment, and Sora clicked the door closed, pressing his forehead against the wood.

"I think he's confused about the arrangement," Riku murmured, a thread of amusement in his voice.

Sora knocked his head against the door once, twice. "You think?" he grumbled.

"Sora, I'm hungry."

"Is that all you think about? Feed yourself," he muttered to the door.

Sora was startled when Riku's chin settled on his shoulder. "Of course it's not. It just helps me think better." He rubbed his cheek against Sora's, and Sora felt his breath catch in his throat, noticing their proximity, the heat of Riku's body at his back. Riku, in turn, noticed the change in Sora, and chuckled in his ear. "Are you sure you want me to feed myself?" His teeth closed on the soft flesh of Sora's ear.

Sora was too hot. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in what Riku was suggesting, quite the opposite. But it was too much, in too little time. In less than a day, a tentative friendship had turned into Riku literally putting his life in his hands, and then turning his world upside down by showing him something he would've never thought possible. And his dreams, and Riku's constant demanding, teasing, it was all making his chest too tight.

"Stop it." His voice sounded tired, when he said it, but the command was still firm. He felt the power in it, like Riku had suggested, and that, too, was too much. When Riku backed away, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs, and let it out slowly. When he turned around, Riku's eyes searched his, looking lost, forlorn. Maybe even hurt.

"Sorry," he said finally. He turned and went to the kitchen, and didn't look at Sora as he did, in fact, feed himself, settling on the counter to eat, legs swinging slightly.

Sora picked his way to the armchair and sat there, taking deep, even breaths, head resting in his hands. His back to Riku. It seemed like a long while before his voice cut through the silence again. "Is it like this? How Terra is being controlled." The thought that had just occurred to him scared him as much as the cold golden stare that was imprinted in his mind.

Riku's reply came after a long pause, as if he had to think about it. "No. It's different."

"Tell me about it?" He wasn't sure he was up for more of it, more of this part of the world that he'd only just learned of, but if he were to keep pace, to help Riku, he had to hear it.

There was another pause, Riku circling around to sit on the couch, his eyes dark in thought. Sora watched the conflict there, saw the decision made and the way he gathered himself for the task.

"It comes from the inside, the control. It feeds on something within, consumes, makes you forget yourself." His eyes flicked to Sora. "Yours is different, like being reminded of oneself. Maybe it could be the same, if you developed it, I don't know."

"I wouldn't want to be like that."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Riku's lips curled into a small smile. "Call it instinct, then."

"Instinct." It sounded absurd, but the circumstances made it less so. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Riku stood abruptly. "I should go."

"Riku, it's the middle of the night."

"Yes. I've stayed too long." He was already pulling on his stained jeans, finally dry, his borrowed shorts pooled to one side, bandage disappearing under the fabric. It was harder to ignore his body when Sora wasn't focused on treating its hurts, and he averted his eyes. For his own sake, since Riku seemed unperturbed by it. Or perhaps he had done it on purpose. Sora couldn't be sure.

Sora came to his feet. "I thought I was coming with."

Riku paused in pulling on his parka, his feet already back in boots. "Did you? Well, I won't stop you."

"Don't tease me." It was a pout, but he'd already had his fill of the teasing for the night. Or day. It had all blended together.

"I'm sorry," and it really did sound apologetic. The familiar gesture as he shrugged his parka higher, and Sora saw it, the way the fur lining on it resembled a lion's mane.

Sora found his own boots, and began gathering his scarf and coat. "Don't tell me that's why you wear it."

"What?"

"The parka. It looks like…the lion you."

Riku shrugged again. "It feels bare without it."

Sora eyed him, but didn't pursue the subject. "So, where are we going?"

o - o - o

They took an Uber to Riku's place.

Sora wasn't sure what to expect, but Riku's apartment was nothing unusual. It was tidy—more so than Sora's, and the complex looked more expensive than his own, but nothing really spoke of Riku's lion self. Then again, what would?

Sora lingered in the living room while Riku changed into fresh clothes. He could hear the distinct sounds of drawers opening and closing, Riku rummaging for something. A picture on an end table caught his eye, and Sora picked it up, eyes wide with wonder. It was unmistakably Riku and Terra, at a younger age. Riku smiled in it, all teeth, an arm thrown around an adolescent Terra.

There was a stoicism to Terra in the photo, but even so, he looked kind.

More surprisingly, the eyes that looked from his face were blue, his hair a dark brown.

"It's like a sickness," Riku murmured from behind him. "Once it's inside you, it works its way outside, altering you. Those eyes—the yellow ones—aren't him. He's not like that."

Sora wasn't sure Riku was convinced, himself. But, "We'll help him. We've got to."

Riku nodded once.

The sky was softening with the first light of dawn when they both slid into Riku's car. By the time they reached their destination, the sun itself was creeping above the horizon. Sora watched familiar buildings slide by the windows as Riku pulled into a parking lot of his university, surprise open on his face.

"Why are we here?"

"Where else would you find a scholar? He's a professor here."

"Oh. What's his name?"

"Yen Sid."

Sora's eyes widened. "Seriously? What can _he_ do to help?"

Riku shifted the car into park. "That's what I'm here to find out."

"He's my academic adviser. I never would've thought…" he trailed off.

Riku gave him an appraising look. "That makes things easier, then."

"But it's early Sunday morning. What makes you think he'll be here now?"

Riku exhaled in a sigh. "If he's not here, I'll find out where he is. It shouldn't be hard to track him down." Whether he meant it in the traditional sense or in the stalking-lion sense, Sora couldn't be sure. But he didn't doubt Riku's ability to find the grey-bearded man.


	6. Resources

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long, guys! School was gobbling me up and I lost the momentum I had with this fic. BUT here is a new update! Thanks for your patience! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed reading this!

 **Resources**

It was eerie, being on campus Sunday morning. Where Sora was used to seeing throngs of people, there was only a security officer and a few solitary students, hurrying to their destinations to escape the cold. The stillness of the hour was uninterrupted by the usual campus chatter, leaving behind a contemplative silence. Riku's stride was deliberate, already moving towards one of the liberal arts buildings.

Sora lingered near the car. "Uhm, Riku? Yen Sid's office is back there." He pointed in the opposite direction.

Riku paused and turned his head, so that Sora saw his profile. "It's not an office visit." When Sora made no move to catch up, he turned to face him fully.

"He doesn't work in the liberal arts college," Sora offered.

Riku crossed his arms. "He's not paid to work there, you mean. I'm not interested in what he's employed to do, but rather what he does in his spare time. Sora, how well do you know Yen Sid?"

Sora colored. "Not-not really. We only really talk about school and what my goals are."

"Hn. I don't suppose he would brag about his other expertise." He jerked a thumb back towards the cluster of buildings he'd been headed to. "There's an archive in Gladfelter. Several of his speculative works reference the documents housed there." Riku turned and resumed walking, Sora hustling to catch up.

A security guard stationed at the door nodded when Sora flashed his student ID, but Riku was stopped and required to sign in with his driver's license. Sora peeked over his shoulder to see the neatly-written letters of Riku's last name.

"Ko…mainu? What language is that?"

Riku spared him a glance. "Japanese."

Sora trailed him as they made their way to the archive room. "Oh. I didn't realize you were…"

Riku shrugged. "It's a family name. I'm not, exactly."

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Not exactly Japanese," he ticked off a finger, "not exactly human, not a were-lion—"

"Were-lions don't exist, I told you."

"So, what are you, then?"

"Komainu."

"That's your name."

Riku huffed a sigh. "Where do you think the name comes from?"

"Oh."

Riku stopped in front of the door to the archives and looked through the window. "There's a light on."

Sora stopped beside him, taking in the light of the foyer. There was no one visible, but the archive proper was through a second door. "That's a good sign, right?" Sora's eyes turned to the card reader next to the lock. "I wonder if my ID will work here?" He retrieved it from his pocket and slid it through. He was rewarded with a green light and a low beep of acceptance. He turned back to Riku with a grin. "See, what would you have done without me?"

Riku quirked an eyebrow. "I'd get in."

The second door was unlocked, letting them into the dimly lit room without preamble. "Anyway, Riku, what does that mean, Komainu?"

"Lion-dog. A kind of guardian spirit, if you will."

Sora started, surprised by the low voice. "Professor Yen Sid! So you are here."

The man in question stepped from behind a cabinet. "Hello Sora. I wouldn't have expected to see you here." His stern gaze landed on Riku. "You, Komainu, I am surprised I haven't seen sooner."

Aqua eyes met his gaze. "It's Riku."

Yen Sid gave a deferential nod. "Riku, then." He studied Riku for a moment before turning his eyes back to Sora. "Well then, how can I help you, gentlemen?"

Riku crossed his arms. "If you were expecting me, then you must know."

"Of course, of course," he murmured, eyes still on Sora. "And Sora?"

"I'm here to help in any way I can."

A smile appeared above Yen Sid's bushy beard. "Very well. Come, follow me." He strode deeper into the archive room, Sora and Riku at his heels. "I take it, then, Sora, that you are apprised of Riku's nature?"

Sora glanced at Riku, who nodded. "Yeah. At least, I know a little bit. About what he is."

The old man nodded as they reached another door, leading to a work room. He gestured at the chairs ranged around a large table, and took one for himself. Sora and Riku followed suit. "And Riku, are you aware of Sora's nature?"

Sora blinked, mouth falling open; Riku gripped the edge of the table, sending Yen Sid an accusing glare. "You knew?"

Yen Sid spread his hands on the table. "I wasn't sure he would awaken, I admit. The chances of him meeting one of you seemed low."

Sora leaned forward. "What do you mean? Do you know what I am? Why I can do what I did?"

Yen Sid folded his hands together. "What you are, Sora, is a Souhei, a warrior monk. A person whose gifts would balance those of a Komainu. Or should, if used properly." He turned to Riku. "I think you have seen the effects of using those gifts improperly." Riku gave a curt nod. "I don't think I have to tell you, but this issue goes beyond the Komainu. It is only a matter of time before this person craves more than just the power of your race. He must be stopped."

"How do I fight him?" Riku growled.

Yen Sid raised his eyebrows. "Don't you know? You've evaded his control already."

"Me. But what about Terra? What about the rest of them?"

"That's why we're here, Professor! We need help, and Riku says you are that help."

Yen Sid leaned back in his chair. "I can help you locate him. I know his identity. Xehanort. But overcoming him is something I cannot help you with."

"Just tell me what to do."

Yen Sid's eyes swept over the two of them. "Not just you, Riku. Sora's already a part of this. Tell me, when did the two of you first meet?"

"Well, we only started talking about a week ago," Sora supplied. When Yen Sid raised his eyebrows he added, "But we were riding the same train together for a while. At least a month." Sora flicked his eyes to the side.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Think about it Riku. How long ago did you fight out of Xehanort's grasp? How long have you been watching Sora?"

Riku seemed to think this over, and then his eyes widened. "Do you mean—it's because of Sora? But—"

Yen Sid rapped the table with his knuckles. "I think the two of you recognized each other's nature immediately, even if it was only subconsciously. Perhaps your instincts took over. Still, I imagine it was Sora's influence that aided you, however latent his abilities at the time."

Sora's face screwed up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Riku was the one to answer. "I was…I was under Xehanort's control. Not as deep under as Terra is, but he had me. I wasn't able to fight it until I noticed you."

"Noticed me?" Sora fought a blush at the implication.

Riku shrugged. "Your scent is very distinct."

"You said that before."

"I wasn't lying."

Yen Sid quirked an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Likely something to do with your respective natures."

"So where do we find this Xehanort?" Yen Sid and Riku both looked at Sora, surprised. "What? If he's hurting people, he has to be stopped."  
"I said I can help you locate him. I don't know where he is, right now." Yen Sid folded his hands on the table. "I need a little time to gather my resources. Meanwhile, the two of you can use the time to harness the powers between you."

Riku sent him a hard look. "How do we do that?"

Yen Sid stood up. "There is a book that recently came into my possession." He retrieved a leather-bound tome from a table behind him. "A journal by a man named Ansem. In it, there is much insight on the capabilities of Komainu and souhei." He held the book tightly, not offering it to Riku and Sora, and instead fixed them both with a piercing stare. "I do not think I have to tell you not to allow Xehanort to lay his hands on this. Although he may already know of many of its secrets, we cannot be sure whether he knows them all or not."

"Of course." Riku bent in a small bow. "We will take care."

Sora nodded. "You can count on us."

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes. I hope I can." He placed the book on the table between Riku and Sora. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of an upbeat pop song, singing from Sora's pocket.

Sora colored, embarrassed. With all of the recent events, the noise of a cell phone sounded so mundane. It was out of place in this environment. But the ringtone was Kairi's, and ignoring it would only cause more trouble later, so he hit the accept button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hey Kairi, now's not a good time…"

"Sora! Where are you? I've been knocking at your door for twenty minutes now! We were supposed to meet to jog this morning, remember?"

Her voice over the call was loud enough that both Yen Sid and Riku could make out the words; it wasn't anger, exactly, but he'd let her down.  
Sora bit his lip, trying to ignore the two men whose eyes were on him, waiting. "Sorry, Kairi, something came up. I had to go see Professor Yen Sid about something, it was an emergency."

"An emergency, Sora? Is everything okay?"

"It's…" Sora trailed off, unable to lie to his friend. "It's being taken care of. Don't worry."

Kairi was quiet on the other end. Softly, so that only Sora could hear: "Alright, Sora. Take care, and keep me posted, okay? Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Yeah, Kairi. Thanks. I gotta go. Sorry I left you hanging."

"It's fine. Catch me up when you can. Bye, Sora."

"Bye, Kairi." He tapped the call end button and looked up at the others. "Sorry, I didn't—"

"No, no. That reminds me, I will need your numbers, Riku, Sora, for when I do locate Xehanort."

"Of course."

They exchanged contact information, and Yen Sid laid out a few other documents for Riku and Sora to peruse, before he excused himself to his office, leaving them in the archive. He'd given them permission take the book with them, but for the moment, there was an unspoken hesitance at leaving the security of the archive. Instead, they bent over the table, probing the words in front of them for any scrap of information on Komainu and souhei.

Sora's fingers hovered over a folio, eyes tracing a drawing there. It was a lion, stylized with a curling mane, and fierce eyes, something like flames or smoke drifting from each paw, and beside it, a man in robes and bulky armor, the same curl of smoke balled in one hand, held aloft. He read the caption, _Souhei and komainu. Legends say the two worked in tandem to protect their territories._

"The wording," Sora murmured, reading further, "it's like reading about pagan gods or something. It's hard to believe komainu are real."

Riku glanced up at him. "I'm real enough. It's souhei that I thought were a legend. But I suppose I should've guessed, with…Xehanort. With what he did. And you, too."

Sora cocked his head, trying to imagine it from Riku's perspective. Sora had just 'awakened,' according to Yen Sid, and even that was still strange to think about. But, "Were you always…did you always know what you are? Or I mean, were you normal, before you became…?"

Riku's eyes flashed, his mouth setting into a thin line. "What do you mean by 'normal,' Sora? Human? Because I've never been human. It's just a form I take."

Sora waved his hands in supplication. "That's not what I meant! I just, it's weird, you know? To me. Not weird. More like, unbelievable. Even if I'm somehow, this souhei," he spread his hands in front of him, studying them, "it's hard to grasp." He curled his hands into fists.

Riku leaned forward, settling his chin on a hand as he regarded Sora. "I suppose it is rather sudden," he said at last. "For me, I am what I always have been, and always will be. Adopting a human form is just a way to exist without conflicts. It's easier. Or it was."

"Is it to hide?"

Riku shrugged. "To blend in."

"Tell me something," Sora mused aloud, "would I have ever seen you like that, if you hadn't been injured? Or would we just be train acquaintances forever?"

Riku lowered his eyes to the table, considering the question. "I think it is like Yen Sid said. An instinctual awareness of each other."

"So," Sora prompted, "is that a yes?"

Riku turned the page of the volume in front of him, focusing on that. "It's not a no."

Sora watched him, lips turning down in a pout. Riku was so hard to read. Had he come to Sora out of necessity only, or did he have some interest in him? Was there meaning behind his advances the night before? Sora pressed a hand to his face, struggling with the exhaustion creeping over him again. So much happening in so little time. He was suddenly desperately wishing he'd been able to keep his promise to Kairi for their jog.

"Sora. Are you finished with that one?"

Sora sighed and looked up. "No, sorry, I got distracted."

"Look, I told you, I don't need your help. If you want, I'll just drive you home. You can forget any of this happened." Riku's expression was neutral.

"No, I want to help. Anyway, if I'm what Yen Sid says I am, then I'm already involved, aren't I?"

"Mm." Riku set the book he'd had aside and picked up another. "There's more here than I expected." He pushed the discarded volume towards Sora. "This one talks about Komainu in the East. In ancient times, and about how they were adopted to watch over shrines. My ancestors, immortalized." He let out a short laugh.

Sora glanced down at the document still in front of him. "This one says Komainu grew stronger with souhei, and vice versa, but not how." He frowned.

Riku pushed out of his chair and moved to read over Sora's shoulder. His fingers hovered over the drawing Sora had been examining earlier.

"This is stylized, but, here," he gestured at the curls of smoke at the komainu's paws and the souhei's hand, "I think that's not just artistic license. I've heard stories, growing up, of souhei and komainu being able to wield magic. I thought they were just myths, but my understanding has shifted."

Sora gave a lop-sided grin. "Good to know I'm not alone there, then."

Sora was surprised when Riku ruffled his hair. "As long as you can keep up." A backward glance showed a small smile on Riku's face. "I'm hungry." He motioned at the documents spread on the table. "Most of these are archived digitally, so we can take a look at them anywhere. Let's put them away and get some food."

"I'm starting to think food is all you think about," Sora muttered, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Riku was already moving to set the folios back on the shelf that Yen Sid h`ad retrieved them from. He glanced back at Sora. "Maybe I just like eating when I'm in your company."

Sora gently closed the book in front of him. "If that's the case, it's your turn to feed me."

"Fair enough." Riku slipped Ansem's journal into his messenger bag while Sora replaced the last book. "I'll order something in. We can take a better look at this," he patted the bag, "after we eat."

"Okay."

It didn't occur to Sora to ask _where_ they were going until after Riku had already pulled into his building's parking lot. He wondered if it even mattered. Maybe it did. Riku might have resources in his apartment that Sora had missed in the small hours of the morning. He had brought his laptop in a case, which was the only contribution he could make on the research end, anyway.

In the hall outside the apartment door, Riku held a hand up, and they paused. Sora watched the way he lowered his eyelids and flared his nose, lifting his head. Catching a scent, Sora realized. He put a questioning hand on Riku's arm. Teal eyes fluttered open.

"Terra was here," he murmured. "But he's not anymore."

"Is it safe?"

Riku shrugged and let them into the apartment. "As safe as anywhere else."

Sora nodded, realizing that if Riku had been able to track him without trouble, the same was probably true for Terra. "Do you think Xehanort has that kind of ability, to track? Or would he just use Terra to do his dirty work?" he wondered.

"I'm sure he can find me without any help. But someone like you? I'm not sure."

Sora voiced what they were both thinking: "Hopefully Ansem's journal will help."

 **End notes:** I took the words Koma-Inu and Souhei and adapted them from the Japanese, however, it's only a superficial resemblance. Most of this lore is coming out of my squishy grey matter.


	7. Under a Dream Sky

**Under a Dream Sky**

A half-empty pizza box sat on Riku's kitchen counter.

Riku and Sora were sitting side by side on the floor in front of Riku's coffee table, knees touching, both intent on the task of finding answers in Ansem's journal. Sora's laptop had taken a back seat to the book, but it was still open, a handful of windows overlapping each other on the screen. Pictures of Komainu and souhei, and a digital folio he'd found on souhei. That one had been littered with notes in the margins, in English, mostly about traditional Japanese souhei, but Sora had noticed a passage discussing the relationship between souhei and guardian spirits. While it didn't explicitly reference Komainu, it had been the most promising thing he'd found.

The archives otherwise exhausted, they'd focused on the leather-bound journal.

Some entries read like the ravings of a lunatic. Those were often barely legible scratchings, sometimes accompanied by diagrams or numbers. Those entries were scattered, like punctuation after a particularly poignant revelation.

The rest were coherent, mostly. Not all of them were on the subject Sora and Riku were interested in.

"Here's one," Sora tapped the page they'd just turned to. "'Today I saw a man in the lion's mask, accompanied by a souhei. The monk looked as any other, was given the same respect, but his companion was given courtesy in offerings as one might see at a shrine. They were inseparable, these two, and they walked with an authority. I do not think it is hubris, but rather…a kind of charisma. Tomorrow they move on to the next village, which is said to be plagued by some evil.'"

"How old is this thing?" Riku mused. "The language is dated, or at the very least stylistic."

Sora frowned. "There's no year. And Yen Sid didn't say." He ran a finger over the yellowed page.

Riku lifted the pages to look at the book's cover, but there were no indications of the year. Only the name was inscribed there, _Ansem_. "Maybe Ansem's not even a name. Yen Sid said the book 'came into his possession.' Where'd this come from?"

Sora pulled his laptop closer and opened a new search, fingers tapping out the letters of the name. "Ah!" He clicked through the results, eyes settling on the names and dates. "Ansem, scholar, anthropologist, mid-1800's." Riku leaned closer to see the screen; Sora was frowning at the words he was reading. "Said to have fallen victim to madness in his later years. Well, I suppose that explains those other entries."

"Mn." Riku turned to the journal's next entry, eyes flicking over the words. "Says the man in the lion mask turned into a great beast to confront a 'great creature made of darkness.' Both he and the souhei 'wielded power of some kind to strike it down.'"

"That's a bit more than the archive said, at least."

"It goes on."

Sora looked at the page Riku was pointing to and skimmed the entry. "So he followed them?" They both were silent as they digested the words. "Can you turn the page?"

"I wonder if they knew he was writing this," Riku murmured. "It's not very…respectful. To be treated like a specimen."

"Maybe, but it would be good if it can help us."

"I guess."

"Hey, do you think this is important? The ceremonial dance he mentions?"

Sora had already moved so close to Riku that he could feel him lift his shoulder in shrug, their arms brushing. "I suppose it may have had a meaning at some point. Without knowing the steps or history…"

"'I think their hearts beat as one,'" Sora said slowly, picking out the phrase from the words around it.

"He was probably being poetic. The man wasn't exactly mentally stable."

"Yeah, I guess." Sora glanced over as Riku yawned. "Hey, maybe we should take a break. We had a really early start today. I don't know about you, but my eyes are crossing."

Riku straightened, blinking. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He left the journal open on its spine and set it at the center of the coffee table, and leaned back against the couch behind them.

Sora stood and stretched. "Hey Riku?"

Riku's eyes had already fluttered shut, but he opened them a crack to regard Sora. "What?"

Sora stared at him, still a bit stunned by all that had happened over the course of the last couple days. "No, never mind. It's nothing." He turned and retrieved another slice of pizza. "You want some?" He gestured at Riku with the slice.

Despite his sluggishness, Riku came to his feet with a boneless grace that Sora was fast growing used to, and shuffled to join Sora at the counter. He propped his chin on Sora's shoulder, a gesture he had to bend to complete. "Yes."

Sora was more aware of the physical contact now that they'd parted, and weren't both bent at the same task. "I never would've guessed you were this, uh, touchy-feely, before." He felt his cheeks heat up. "You seemed more aloof."

Riku tilted his head so it bumped Sora's. "I decided I like you."

"You decided?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his cheek against Sora's and picked up a slice of pizza.

Sora side-stepped away. "Like me how?"

Riku's gaze swung around to Sora, his eyes suddenly piercing, all signs of sleep gone. Riku was sizing him up, Sora realized. "I don't know. I just do."

"Okay," Sora drew the word out. He leaned on the counter and bit into the pizza. "You know," he said after swallowing, "even though this is all kind of," he gestured vaguely, "a lot to take in. And, uh, pretty crazy," he stared down at his pizza, "I'm kind of glad. I mean, not glad, exactly, but I like being in your company."

Riku dropped his eyes to the pizza as he chose a slice.

"I liked you the moment I saw you," Sora murmured.

Riku lifted his chin along with his gaze. "Of course you did."

"Hey, I didn't say that to feed your ego!"

"No, I mean—I mean I could tell." He was back at studying the pizza. "And anyway, you fed me." His voice sounded a little wistful, maybe.

Sora grinned. "I guess I'm happy that paid off. Well, sort of. I didn't expect all this." He waved a hand in Riku's direction. "But I think I can get used to it."

"If you're trying to say something, Sora, just say it directly."

Sora's face reddened. "Alright." Still, he bit his lip, considering his words. "I mean, we've already done a lot of things together the past couple days, eating, napping…you even kissed me but. Uh. Let's date?" He laughed a little. "I was going to ask eventually, anyway, but—"

Riku had fixed him in another unreadable stare. "Date?"

"Yeah?"

Riku cocked his head. "Is there a need to?"

Sora's face fell. "What?"

Confusion flickered over Riku's face, and he set his untouched pizza down.

"I'm tired," Sora sighed, changing the subject. "Mind if I crash on your couch for a bit?" Riku blinked and nodded, watched Sora turn and curl up on the couch.

Riku was still mulling the question over after he'd eaten two slices of pizza. It wasn't something they needed to do. He picked his way back into the living room and looked down at Sora, who had already closed his eyes in sleep. Hadn't he already told Sora…?

Riku let out a huff. Humans. He bent and scooped the smaller man into his arms, carrying him into his room and setting him gently on the bed. Sora stirred, eyelashes fluttering, until blue eyes opened.

Sora let out a small "Oh," at the white lion curling against him. "Riku?"

Riku snuffled his hair and slung a paw across his chest. Instead of being frightening, Sora realized it was a protective gesture.

"You always sleep as a lion?" Sora asked drowsily.

An indistinct rumble sounded in Riku's chest, and then they were both quiet, breaths evening out as they found sleep again together.

o.O.o

"Can you fight?" Riku's voice sounded close, although he stood a handful of paces away.

"Huh?" Sora blinked, trying to re-orient himself. "Where are we?" They were in a large, open field, and Sora couldn't remember how they'd gotten there.

"It's a dream."

Sora turned in a circle, tensing, watching for yellow eyes.

"It's just you and me."

Sora's breath left him in relief. "That's good." He scraped a toe in the dirt. "I can fight a little, I suppose."

Riku shifted, feet apart, hands coming up in a loose fighting stance. "Then we'll spar."

"Spar?"

"Yes, Sora, if you insist on being involved, we are going to spar. We don't know what Xehanort is capable of. So we have to be ready."

"Uhm. Okay." Sora moved to mirror Riku's stance, uncertain. "It's been a while since I've—"

He was cut off as Riku darted forward and swung at him. Sora managed to bring an arm up to block, but Riku's fist still grazed his cheek.

Sora frowned and shook his head. "Ow!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Tighten up your guard." He came at Sora again, and this time Sora was able to block him.

"Better." Sora grunted as Riku continued his assault, blocking kicks and punches. Riku's eyes narrowed. "Fight back."

Sora grit his teeth and clenched his fists tight. "Riku, just—just slow down!" He sidestepped a blow, but Riku caught him in a grab, pulling him into a headlock.

"No, Sora, keep up," Riku breathed in his ear.

Sora growled in frustration, an unfamiliar irritation running through him. It burned, and sparked, until suddenly Sora was worming his way out of the headlock. He flipped Riku to the ground, pinning him there, and wasn't sure how he'd done it. Instinct, maybe?

Riku was staring up at him. "That's more like it."

They sprang to their feet, a small distance between them, and this time Sora initiated the attack. "Fine," he bit out, "I'll fight you." Sora couldn't remember learning enough about fighting or martial arts for the attack he was leveling at Riku, couldn't remember ever moving so fast. Was it because this was a dream? Would he be able to do this when he was conscious?

Either way, it was like a switch had been thrown, and the two were caught in a dance of combat, and Sora was holding his own. They moved faster, both landing as many blows as they blocked, until both were gasping for breath.

"Enough." Sora blinked. He had managed to pin Riku again, wide eyes staring at him in surprise. "That's enough for now."

Sora eased off of him, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. "I didn't even know I could do all that. Is it because it's a dream? But, it feels like more than that," he mused.

Riku climbed to his feet. "It's a dream realm." He gestured around them. "We can change the backdrop, but we stay ourselves. Our abilities are the same."

"Oh. So…maybe this is part of the 'awakening' Yen Sid was talking about?" Sora flexed a hand, studying it. "Before, when I…controlled you and Terra. That was in a dream, too, right?"

Riku sent him a dark look. "You were intruding."

"Yeah, but how did I do it? Get into your dream. Is it part of being a—a souhei?"

"How should I know?" Riku turned his back to Sora and looked out into the open space beyond them, shifting from foot to foot.

Sora opened his mouth to say something else, but Riku was already surging forward, his form fluid and white as he turned into a lion. In moments, he was hidden by the grass of the plains, but Sora could still inexplicably feel him. He had a sense of wind and dry grass rushing past, of dirt under the pads of feet. A sensation of flying, and momentary freedom. His heart racing.

But his feet were firmly planted on the ground, the world around him still, save for the grass swishing in the wind.

"Riku?" Silence. Sora cast another look around; Riku was still out of sight. He let out a sigh and plopped to the ground. "Man," he drew the word out. "This is crazy." He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky above. A dream sky, with fluffy dream clouds. "So is any of this for real, if it's a dream?" Sora wasn't sure who he was asking, since Riku had left him alone.

It was strange, waking up, because Sora didn't remember if he'd dreamt more after staring at the sky, or if he'd even slept longer, or if he'd simply blinked, and the dream sky had turned into Riku's room. It was disorienting. Perhaps he was still dreaming.

Riku was no longer in lion form. He had rolled onto his back, a hand draped across his forehead. Sora himself had snuggled up against him in sleep, an arm slung over Riku's waist, a leg tangled with Riku's. He bit his lip and started to pull away, but Riku stirred. Tightened his hand around Sora's arm.

"Rest a bit longer," Riku murmured, not opening his eyes.

Sora let the words sink in, wondering if there was anything more behind them than the exhaustion in Riku's voice. But he was comfortable and warm, and it wasn't hard to relax into that. It was easier not to think too much. "How are your wounds?" he whispered. He could feel the edge of a bandage under his fingers.

"I'm fine."

Sora huffed a sigh, but didn't press the question. It was clear by now that he wouldn't get anything more on the subject. Instead he asked, "How did you fight him off? Xehanort."

Riku took a breath. "I already told you. I don't know."

"You have to remember something. You said it was after you noticed me, right? How did it happen?"

Riku's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "I don't know. It was like I recognized you. And I was reminded of myself. Like I told you before." He shrugged. "I realized what Xehanort was putting in my mind wasn't me. Then I just started shutting his voice out."

"So maybe—"

Riku cut him off. "I don't think it'll be that simple with Terra."

Sora pulled free of Riku's grasp. "Well, we can't know unless we try!" He frowned. "But…we'll still have to do something about Xehanort." He bit his lip. "We should get back to work."

Sora had already climbed out of bed when Riku sat up, a scowl across his lips. He trailed Sora into to living room, where he was scouring the pages of the journal. Instead of joining him, Riku moved past him into the kitchen and switched on the coffee maker. The rich scent of coffee filled the apartment, the sound of it dripping into the carafe the only sound to accompany the turning pages of Ansem's journal. The scowl on Riku's face relaxed in time to the filling coffee pot.

"Hey Riku?" Riku paused in filling his coffee cup to turn to Sora. He was looking up with wide blue eyes, a finger fixed over one of the pages. "I think this might be important."


	8. Ansem's Journal

_I dreamt last night._

 _I dreamt of the Komainu I am following. He told me he knows that I am following them, that he senses my nature._ _'What do you mean by that?' I asked. He said, 'You're awakening as a souhei.'_

 _That is, of course, a fancy on my own part. I can only dream of wielding the power that I am certain they possess. I, too, would like to make my mark on the world._

 _—_

 _It was no dream, after all. I woke in the dead of night to see a huge lion standing over me. His eyes were the color of clear skies. It is not the one I have been following; this one is younger. I can feel it, somehow, like his mind is touching my own. Is this what it is to be souhei? How does one bond with a Komainu? Is it as a melding of the minds?_

 _He says he felt me reaching out, searching. He says he has been waiting for a souhei to unlock his strength._

 _But how do I do it?_

 _—_

 _He tells me there is no longer any need to trail the pair I_ _'d been following, my new companion._

 _I disagree, although I have relented for the moment. There is no doubt that those two can sense, if not me, then him._

 _Instead, I have focused all of my attentions on him. It is a strange ability, to touch the heart of another—I am certain it is the heart, and not the mind, less the intricate layers of thought and knowledge_ _…it's something more primal. My companion's heart remains unguarded, eager to find a new kind of strength. It is not what I expected. The other Komainu I've encountered—studied from afar—have served some altruistic goal, traveling to where evil has settled, to exorcise it. My companion's heart is more occupied with a selfish hunger for power—to what end, I am unsure, though, I expect, so is he._

 _I know my own goals. I want to change the world. If I must harness this selfish lion_ _'s power for my own, then so be it._

 _—_

 _Much has happened._

 _As souhei and Komainu, my companion and I are able to communicate through dreams. It is intimate, in a way, to invade the privacy of one_ _'s sleeping conscious, and neither of us cares for the intimacy, but it is through this that we found the doors. Perhaps it is a metaphor in our unconscious minds, and not truly doors that we found, but we opened them. And once they were open…_

 _My senses are heightened, and often, if I concentrate, I can experience the things my companion experiences—the hunt of an animal, the sights and smells, the_ feeling _of the life leaving it. It_ _'s heady._

 _More, knowledge that I have no memory of gaining comes to me. How to weave spells, for example—spells! Fire, thunder, ice, all follow my will! My companion, as well, has similar abilities, those that he can wield in a human form, and those he can harness as a lion._

 _He grew bold, with this new power._

 _He tried to ravage a small village we passed._

 _I would not have it. It was wrong, it was not the mark I wish to leave on the world._

 _I discovered that, not only can I experience his experiences—I can also influence them._

 _It was a contest of wills, but I won. He is weak, after all._

 _He follows only my will, now._

 _His eyes no longer reflect a cloudless sky._

 _—_

 _The amber eyes of my companion haunt my dreams now._

 _—_

 _It will be easier to achieve my goals if I have numbers. There are many Komainu, and few souhei. I have had little trouble recruiting more to my cause._

 _I will make my mark on the world. I will make it better._

 _—_

 _They all have yellow eyes now._

 _—_

 _Two hearts lay at my feet, still warm, only recently stilled. Only recently torn from their owners_ _' chests. I can feel the blood on my hands, can practically taste it, though it was not I who took it._

 _I was wrong. The souhei would not accept my vision of the world._

 _The Komainu went in a rage at his companion_ _'s death. He was strong—just as his companion had been—and I could not bring him to heel. His heart…it was still bonded with his dead companion. It would not be swayed._

 _Is this the strength of a true bond? Have I made a mistake?_

 _No._

 _No, it is they who are mistaken._

 _Can_ _'t they see that I only want it to be better?_

 _They will see. They will see when I remake this world._

—

Sora had felt the tension growing in Riku as they read the string of journal entries together; now his eyes were slitted, the rage coming off of him almost tangible. He was silent, but the stiff shoulders, the balled fists, said it all. His coffee sat, forgotten, on the counter.

It was clear, even without reading further, that Ansem had been like Xehanort. That, in fact, he had gotten further than Xehanort had.

As far as they _knew_.

"Riku," Sora murmured. He hoped it was placating. "Whatever happened, it's in the past. This Ansem—"

"He _killed_ them," Riku bit out. He jabbed a finger at the journal entry. " _My kind_. Dead. One of you, _dead._ "

Sora frowned down at it, the silence between them sharp, biting.

"Xehanort—he'll do this, too." Riku's lips were still turned up in a snarl, but there was an undercurrent of something else.

Worry, fear, maybe. It wasn't just his own life—his own will—on the line, but Terra's, as well.

Maybe even Sora's. It worried him, too, a little, but he couldn't imagine abandoning Riku at this stage. It wasn't the kind of person he was.

Sora caught Riku's eyes with his own. "No. We'll stop him. Someone must've stopped Ansem, right? We'll be the ones to stop Xehanort, before he gets any further." It was hard, holding Riku's gaze, but Sora didn't waver. "We'll do it, I promise."

Riku pursed his lips. "What makes you so sure?"

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Because, Riku. You've already won, once."

Riku's eyebrows were still drawn down, mouth tight.

"We'll be stronger together," Sora nodded as he said it, conviction evident in his voice. Sora put a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "Riku…" He bent and turned the journal back a few pages, pointing at another entry. "This here. He said he could experience the same things as the Komainu, right? I wonder if it's like—like in the dream realm." Sora pressed his lips together. "After you ran off, it was like…I was feeling the same things as you, for a time. I can't explain it, but. I felt like I was running, too."

Riku's gaze sharpened, and he took a step back. "You—?"

Sora shook his head quickly, holding his hands out. "It wasn't on purpose!"

Riku's shoulders relaxed a fraction. There was a pause, and then: "So we've already started—" he waved his hands vaguely.

Sora nodded, his face brightening. "And, when we were sparring? I have never done anything like that before, either."

Riku's face softened, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I know you didn't—you weren't trying to steal control." He glanced back up. "Is it just that simple, though?" There was a look in his eyes that Sora didn't recognize. "I just…let you in?"

It was vulnerability, Sora realized, and maybe Riku realized it, too, because the look was gone almost as soon as Sora noticed it.

Sora hummed. "But what about the uh…magic? Maybe we should keep reading."

Riku sighed, shrugged. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to the counter. He picked up his cup of coffee and gestured at Sora with it. "Coffee?"

Sora stood, joining Riku at the counter. "Yes, please."

Riku obliged, producing another mug and pouring the coffee in silence, except for a soft inquiry of, "Cream and sugar?" It wasn't until after Sora had wrapped his hands around the mug that he spoke again. "I don't think Xehanort has enough control yet to use magic. Or maybe he doesn't know."

Sora lifted his eyebrows. "That's good, then, right?"

Riku nodded slowly.

Sora stirred his coffee absently. "Are there others? Like you and Terra, or like me?"

Riku stared into his mug. "Somewhere, probably. We thought there were no souehei, but we were wrong. So there are probably more Komainu than we know about." He shrugged. "I don't know how to contact them."

Sora bumped his shoulder. "That's okay."

A notification sounded from Riku's phone, and he tapped the message. "It's Yen Sid." Riku's fingers moved on the screen, sending a reply. "He said he has something for us and asked where we were."

"Did he say what?"

Riku shook his head, tilting his phone to show Sora the message. A second message appeared on the screen.

"Ah, he said he's sending it over."

"Mn." Riku tapped the counter, and Sora had a vivid image of a cat flicking its tail back and forth in thought. "Sora."

Sora blinked at the suddenness of Riku's voice. "Yeah?"

Riku opened his mouth, and then closed it, shaking his head. "Never mind."

Sora tilted his head. "No, what is it, Riku?"

Riku ducked his head, his voice low and fast. "Dating…why do you want to do that?"

Sora raised his eyebrows, bemused, and then his lips stretched into a smile. "I like you. I thought that was obvious."

Riku looked at Sora through his eyelashes. "But isn't this enough?"

"This?" Sora's smile slipped.

Riku exhaled. " _This_ ," and this time when Riku said the word, Sora felt a slight _tug,_ like a string pulled taut between them.

Sora stared. "What was that?"

Riku huffed a sigh. "A bond. It's still new, but…"

"Oh." Sora pursed his lips, processing. "So, a bond…like…"

"I think that's what Ansem was talking about, even if he didn't know," Riku mused. "It's…" he hesitated. "Not something we share lightly." Softer: "It would make sense, then, if 'their hearts beat as one.'"

"Oh," Sora said again.

"So, there's no need to date," Riku finished, a hint of irritation lacing his voice.

 _"Oh."_ Comprehension dawned on Sora, a flush following in its wake.

Riku, noticing, let out a small laugh. "Wow, Sora, you're slow."

Sora scowled half-heartedly. "I'm still learning about all of this, you know!"

"Alright," Riku conceded. A beat later, his phone rang, and he answered it with a brief, "Yes, send him up," before hanging it up. "Yen Sid's messenger," he supplied.

It wasn't long before a knock sounded at the door, and Riku opened it after glancing through the peephole.

A young man, shorter than Sora, stood on the other side of it, shaking black hair from his eyes. "Oh, hiya guys! You must be Sora and Riku. I'm Mickey." He held out a bundle wrapped in brown paper. "Yen Sid sent me to deliver this."

Riku accepted the parcel. "Thanks."

Mickey beamed. "No problem! I have to get back, but good luck. I hope that comes in handy!"

Riku and Sora watched his hurried departure down the hall, eyebrows raised, until he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Wow," Riku murmured, closing the door.

"What?"

Riku brushed his shoulder against Sora's casually. "I didn't think it was possible for someone to be happier than you, is all." His eyes sparkled as he said it, his tone light.

Sora pouted. "You're mean, you know that?"

Riku made a noise in his throat, somewhere between a purr and a laugh, if Sora were to guess.

"So, what is it?"

Riku set it on the counter, a little away from their coffees, and tugged off the paper. There was a note on top: _I appropriated this, but I thought it wise to deliver it to one who can make use of it._ And beneath the paper, gleaming dully, a wooden Komainu mask that matched the drawings they'd encountered in their research. It was red, stylized, with swirls of gold, and carved fangs done in bone yellow.

Riku's fingers hovered over the lacquer. "I always thought these were just masks," he murmured.

Sora studied the whorls and age-cracked paint. "Isn't it?"

Riku trailed his forefinger over a wooden cheekbone, and it seemed that the gold shone a little brighter. "No. See for yourself." He pulled his hand away, gesturing to Sora to touch the mask.

"It's warm," Sora mused. More than that, he could feel a pulse of energy, a low vibration beneath his hand.

Riku frowned. "So much of our history, lost to darkness." He made to pick up the mask, and what had been a low gleam suddenly grew in intensity, and both Riku and Sora drew their hands back in surprise. The light dissipated, and Riku reached down again, turning the mask over and studying it. "I think…" He held it in front of his face and inhaled, eyes bright. "Interesting. It makes it easier for me, to hold a human form." At Sora's puzzled expression, Riku placed the mask back on the table. "It's not a natural form for me," he explained, "So it takes energy to maintain it."

Sora poked at the mask. "Something tells me there's more to it than that, though. Don't you think? Or else Yen Sid wouldn't have… _borrowed_ it."

Riku nodded, sipping his coffee.

"Ansem's journal mentioned that the one he was following had a mask," Sora said slowly, "but nothing about masks after that. Like…none of the…uhm, ones he controlled, there's no mention of masks. Do you think maybe it protects you?"

Riku shrugged. "Maybe there's more we haven't read yet. Or he just didn't write anything."

"Right, right. We shouldn't take any chances, right? Oh, but I could try to control you with it on?"

"We could try." Riku made a face at his empty coffee cup. "Alright, Sora." Riku took up the mask again, this time fitting it fully to his face. When he growled " _Stop me_ ," it was muffled by the mask, and yet, Sora heard the words clearly, just a moment before Riku sprang into action.


End file.
